Envelop-machine.



amvom ENVELOF MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 1. 1915- 1,25Q,969. Patented Jan. 8,1918. I 2 SHEET$-SHEET J. E. TREVOR.

ENVELOP MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 1.1915.

1,252,969. Patented m. s, 191s.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- 1% h wooeo 15W a Jamal. flaw]? lid d S E. TREVOR, F HARTFORD, GONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS T6 ITED STATES ENVELOPE COMPANY, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, A

Specification of letters Eatent.

Patented Jan. 8, rare.

original application died October r, 1913, serial no. 783,852. Divided and this application filed June 1915. Serial No. 32,5a2.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES E. TREVOR, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented new and useful Improvements in Envelop-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention (divided out of co-pending application Serial No. 793,852, filed Oct. 7, 1913, as divisional application), relates to an improvement in mechanism for delivering envelope from a drying chain as ordinarily used in a rotary envelop machine.

The object of the invention is to provide improved delivery mechanism to take the envelop from the drying chain in an improved and positive manner. Other objects of the invention will appear in the detailed description and annexed claim With these objects in view the invention is shown in one preferred embodiment there of in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows a rear elevation of a portion of an envelop machine embodying the invention only so much being shown as is necessary to an understanding thereof;

Fig. 2 is a side sectional view taken on the line 22 of Fig.1; and

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view of one way in which the nippers of the transporting de= vice may operate.

In the drawings, of the machine. The envelope 2', formed except for the last fold or the fold known as the seal flap, are delivered from the part of the machine not shown around a roll mount-- ed on the shaft a of Fig. 2. Up to this point in the forming of the envelop, it has been held in the machine by rolls but, as the envelop is delivered from the roll on the shaft a, it, for the first time, is released from the holding rolls. The machine for forming the envelop up to this delivery point is welllrnown by those skilled in the art and does not concern the present invention in such a way as to make an explanation of that part of the machine necessary.

As the envelop is delivered trom the rolls, it falls downwardly on to the belt f. This belt passes around guide rolls mounted on the shafts 3), g, and e, as shown in Fig. 2, and is operated -from shaft e. The width of the belt f is proportioned to the surface of A represents the frame with in such a waythat the frictional engagement of the belt with the envelop will be sufficient to move the latter into the exact folding position in a positive manner. lVhen the envelo is delivered on to the belt, the only thing t at remains in forming the envelop is to fold over the seal fla M. lln order to hold the envelop for the to ding operation, a brass-plate h provided which is mounted to oscillate on the shaft 9, being mounted on the latter by means of a pair of ears, as shown in Fig. 2. The shaft 9 is rocked by a link motion a" operated from a, suitable cam (not shown) connected with a power shaft. When the envelop is delivered onto the belt, plate It has been moved in a clockwise direction,-as shown in dotted lines, in order to form together with the surface of the belt f an open mouth to receive the envelop. At the upper endof the" plate is, I

there is a folding blade is. When the envelop has been received by the belt f and drawn downwardly, the plate It is swung in.

folding blade 70. The shalt 15 is rocked at the proper time by a cam, not shown, connected with any suitable power shaft of the main-frame. This movement is so communicated to the arm a that, when the roll d is on the late 13, the'envelop will be fed over said r0 1 to the belt and, when the envelop and folding plate is have been properly positioned, the roll at will come against the seal of the envelop and fold it over the foldtlap blade k. The folding roll at then retires ing to allow the envelop to be'transported from the folding mechanism. The plate It swings in a clockwise direct1on to the dotted line position to again form an open mouth with the transporting nippcrs 9, which are car= ried on a link p, grasp the edges of the ca free ' the belt f. During this swinging movement,

low the nippers to take hold of any size envelop which the machine may be making.

These nippers are arranged to close on the envelop and transport it from the folding mechanism .to the drying chain.

The operation of transferring nippers of the class indicated in Figs. 1 and 2 is well known by those skilled in the art. It is not thou ht necessary to show them in full detail 1n said figures. In Fig. 3 a diagrammatic showing of a simple nipper mecha-' nism is shown which could be used if desired. The nippers 9 are each pivoted on a. relatively stationary angle piece 32, and each nipper comprises a bell-crank lever one arm of which operates to bind the envelop against the part 32 and the other to act as a stop-arm as shown. A leaf-spring Ell on part- 32 bears against a part of the nipper extending rearwardly from its pivot and acts to hold the nipper in either one of its two ositions to which it may be moved in an o vious manner. It will be understood that all these parts may be carried by the link p in Fig. 2. When the link g moves in position for the nippers to grasp t e envelop, the arms of the. two nippers are pushed against stationary pins 34 to throw the nippers from open to closed position. The springs 31 bearing against the projections of the nippers as they. pass across centers will act to snap and hold them in the desired position. Similarly when the link p moves in position for the nippers to open and release the envelop, the other arms of the nippers are pushed against pins 33 and the nippers are sprung open. This is one of the well-known nipper constructions which may be used as well as others.

The drying chain, a portion only of which is shown, is mounted on the frame A to travel vertically, the lower end of its travel passing around a suitable sprocket on the shaft 8. When the carrying fingers '0 pass around the sprocket, they are opened in a well-known manner, as shown in Fig. 2, and

' the envelop is inserted one on each carrying finger just before it closes with relation to the one preceding it. In order to transport the envelop from the folding mechanism to the carrying fingers, the following mechanism is provided: an arm 9 is keyed to the shaft 11 mounted in the main-frame and is pivoted to the upper end of the link 70 asshown in Fig. 2. A second arm 0 is pivoted being the delivery position for the transporting mechanism. The nippers 9 are designed to release the envelops when in the delivery position. The links 0, q, and p can them move to the full line position again. During the transportation of the envelop from the foldin mechanism to the drying chain, the seal up 14 is apt to open, and, to prevent this, an arm 10 is provided which rocks with shaft 71. Its purpose is clearly shown in the dotted line osition shown in Fig. 2'. As the envelop 18 released by the,

nippers one of the carrying fingers 0 moves under the envelop and carries 1t upwardly. The driving chain is operated in.a step by step manner each step taking place while an envelop is being delivered to the closing carrying finger. I I

These carrying fingers are each designed to carry any length envelop within a certain range and where long envelops are being made the ends of the envelop lastplaced in the chain are liable to sag downwardly in such a manner that the following envelop being delivered to the following finger will strike the edges of the sagging envelop and interfere with the proper transporting operation. In order to prevent this interference,

and bend them upwardly to prevent sag-.

ging. This shaft t is operated by means of a cam r mounted on the shaft n, having a link connection 8, with the shaft t, as shown. The operations of the arms u are timed with respect to the feeding operations so that,

when an envelop is being delivered, the arms will be in the position shown in full lines in Fig.2, and after the envelop has been delivered, they will move to the dotted line position shown in said figure. This insures a proper feed operation without interference due to long envelops.

When the envelops have traveled around the drying chain so that the gum on the seal flap has been properly dried, they are delivered by the following mechanism: The outer edges of the envelop extending beyond transporting fingers v come to rest upon plate 3 (supported by a bracket from the frame). A pusher a: (see Fig. 1) is operated by any suitable mechanism connected with a power shaft of the main frame to engage one end of the envelop and push it from its position on the plate 3 in the drying chain into an oscillating discharge device B, pivoted at point 1. This device is oscillated from the full line position to the dotted line position by the link 2 which is connected to any suitable cam on one of the power shafts. In the dotted line position the envelop enters between suitably distanced guide-plates 4: and y. The forward hook 11. 1s hableto operate without remov-' v naeaeee end of the upper guide plate 3 as seen in 11 will move the envelop from the discharge.

device B toward the counting mechanism not shown. On account of the very rapid operation of a machine of this character, the

ing the envelop'from the discharge device. In order to prevent this, I provide special means for holdin the envelop in such a position that the hook 11' will invariably engage the upper edge of the envelo to remove it from the discharge device. his mechanism comprises a shaft Q (see Fig. 2) on which are mounted two radial fingers 6 and 7, which are angularly positiond with.

spring 27 he shaft 5 is mounted in a bracket fastened to the dis-' respect to one another held b% in position shown in Fi 2.

the envelop, as shown in Fig.1. The nger 7 then presses against the envelop a short" distance from the upper edge thereof, and, with the envelop held in this fashion, the l the envelo book; 11, which slides upwardly along the lower surface of the envelop after it passes by the finger 7, will press the edge of the envelop upwardly, but the instant the hook 11 has reached the full line position shown the edge of the envelop will immediately spring into position (due to its own resiliency) to be engaged by hook 11 in the discharge operation.

- It is not absolutely necessary to rock the device B asdescribed for it can remain in full line position shown. In this case, the envelops would fall one by one into the open I mouth formed by guides y and 4. The holding finger 7 will then be operated b any suitable operating means rather than y the means described.

Referring to the last fold mechanism in order to prevent any springing back oi after striking stop 25, spring 26 is provi ed, which on the closing down of plate It will rest lightly against the envelop. What I claim is:

s In an envelop machine,-the combination with a drying chain for drying the gum on the scab flap, of the envelop, of means to remove the envelops one by one from the chain and a reciprocable delivery mechanism arranged to engage the edge of the envelop after it leaves the chain to move it out of the way of the following envelop, and a device to hold the edge of the envelop into position to be engaged by the said dolivery mechanism. 7

JAMES E. TREVOR.

Witnesses: v

JAMES Hornwnm,

I J0me Wnmsmn. 

